Draco-REX

Better slush than having an aneurysm or going to jail for murdering someone for wasting my time... The stories in this thread have me stressed out already.

From what I understand the people who fucked up the X design were fired, or at least had their leashes tightened severely. Hopefully that leads into the wiper and mirror this with the roadster. I think with the X Elon learned the lesson the GM learned with the Aztek, you can't go from hit concept to production model and expect a winner. I'm think when the actual production models his the ground they will have D-shaped steering wheels, a hidden wiper, and at least camera pods on the doors.

I certainly was learning something every time I took it to an AutoCross. The nice thing about this car is that, despite it being a rear-heavy mid-engined car, it doesn't bite you in the corners. Even with worn, hard R888s and the stock lotus track suspension when the rear end let go it was easily catchable. So while it doesn't have anything that can cover your mistakes, it doesn't punish you for them either. I can see putting together the perfect lap around Mid Ohio and feeling like an absolute hero because you'd know that it was all your own skill.

Price drop bump.

Thanks, I'm going to need all the luck I can apparently.

I know I'm gonna catch shit for this, but.... The Basics: 2006 Lotus Exige Black 18K Miles Lots of mods $37,500/OBO The Details: It's been a great couple years. The Exige was one of my dream cars, but I just didn't fall in love with it as much as I thought I would. I also want to start a new SCCA RallyCross build. So it's time to say goodbye to a great car. From what I have gathered, this car started life in Nevada and was rapidly set up for track work. It's still street legal, but it isn't very comfortable. The cage is built throughout the entire car, from the front of the chassis to the rear. It is also plumbed/wired for an on board extinguisher system. I removed the bottle because it had expired, but I still have all the brackets to put it in the passenger footwell. Additionally the brakes were replaced with an AP Racing big brake kit with 4-pot calipers front and rear. And the engine was fitted with a Bemani baffled oil pan. I do not know if the gas tank is baffled. The suspension consists of the Lotus Track Pack Bilstein adjustable coilovers and a Blackwatch Racing HD Sway bar (I still have the Lotus adjustable sway bar). The rear tow links are upgraded and braced. Some amenities have been removed. There is no A/C or heat, only vented air through the center vents. The central locking was removed to make room for the door bars. The stock 3-point belts are gone. And the windshield washer bottle was removed. The engine was supercharged with a KATANA supercharger by a previous owner and I verified it's power at a local dyno shop. It put down 218rwhp with AFRs rock steady in the mid 12s. I also added a GRP intake, and switched the Stage 2 muffler (still have) for a Sector111 TRACKpipe when I went to the Difflow diffuser (still have the stock diffuser). It still has the stock catalytic converter and manifold, and evap system, so it should pass emissions tests. And the TRACKpipe is loud enough to be heard, but should pass track sound limits (unlike the Stage 2). 217rwhp: 216rwhp: 218rwhp: It came with the LSS wheels in black, but I recently upgraded to Team Dynamics wheels and much larger tires. The tires only have 2 autocross events on them and maybe 200 miles. The LSS wheels have aged and worn R888s which really aren't worth anything. The body is in good condition, the paint is ok; this was used on the track and it shows. But it runs, drives, and handles exceptionally. This is a fantastic car for someone looking for a dedicated racer. More Pics: https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4199/34111376914_7ef1690b42_b.jpg (with LSS wheels) https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1597/26532097132_3e6f9e208d_b.jpg (shortly after buying it, external extinguisher button still present) https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7720/27158462886_0fea47eecb_b.jpg (original diffuser and Stage 2 exhaust) Mod list: Drivetrain: KATANA Supercharger. GRP Intake w/ K&N Filter Bemani baffled oil pan Sector111 TRACKpipe exhaust (Lotus Stage 2 off car) Lug Stud conversion Chassis: Full front to rear cage with double door bars. On-board extinguisher system with 6 nozzles, needs new bottle. Lotus Track Pack suspension, single-adjustable w/ pre-load adjustment and adjustable sway bar Blackwatch Racing SCCA HD sway bar on car. AP Racing BBK with 4-pot calipers at all 4 wheels and 2-piece rotors. Difflow Railer Jr. diffuser (still have stock) Upgraded toe links and brace (not sure on brand, not stock) Exterior: Folding front tow loop Low beam HID conversion Carbon Fiber access panels Raceview CF mirrors (still have OE) Rear BBHook2 tow loop Sector111 rear panel delete Interior: Personal F1 Alcantara steering wheel Bell Works detachable steering wheel hub CROW 5-point Cam-lock harnesses DBW Pedals Wheels/Tires: Lotus LSS wheels (old R888s mounted) Team Dynamics wheels ( 16x7+30 Fr, 17x9+38 Rr) BFG Rival S 1.5 tires (215/45-16 Fr, 255/40-17 Rr, New)

Dust off those shoehorns! https://www.allpar.com/news/2017/10/hellcrate-707-hp-for-classics-38679

The trouble is getting them to fit. Most truck tires won't fit under the arches without modification. Plus, you can't change your wheel diameter/width in stock class, which makes finding a 16"/17"/18" truck tire that will fit on a car pretty much impossible. The tires also have to be US DOT approved, and can't be cut/studded. Also ATV tires have been banned due to their low side-loading strength. But you'd be surprised how much grip a winter tire has in the dirt. The higher classes (Prepared and Modified) allow non-DOT tires. For those classes you'll see actual competition rally tires. My current favorite for soft/damp conditions (and the ones I used to get 2nd) are a German Euro-RallyCross tire with big tread gaps/blocks and a rubber compound that almost feels like a gum eraser when it gets up to temp. He didn't go this year. He didn't feel confident in his current car so he decided not to go. Considering the distance, all the delays, and that we only got 7 runs this year, it's probably a good thing he stayed home. He wouldn't have had a good time.

Thanks everyone. It was a great weekend. I don't think it could have gone much better. Locally we hold events at Bitzer's Farm in Greenfield. The last event of the season is this Saturday. I won't be there though, we're doing Inventory at work. Z.B. was on FIRE! He kicked ass to take home the win. It's even more amazing considering he only raced one regional this year before the championship. There are stock classes. It really comes down to the tires. Winter tires are pretty essential for a stock class car.

As some may remember, I picked up a STI last year for competition in SCCA RallyCross with a goal to win the Championship. The 2016 Championship went well, taking the final trophy place of 6th. But I also managed to beat one of the fastest drivers out there, Warren Elliot. Well, the 2017 Championship is now in the bag. With some delays and a whole LOT of rain, there were only 7 runs for the weekend. But the heavy rains Saturday night made for soft conditions Sunday that really mixed up the standings. When the dust settled, I placed 2nd in Modified AWD, only 2.142 seconds behind a gutted and swapped Subaru RS that probably weighed half a ton less than my STI. Overall, it was a good weekend. Here's the run from Sunday that got me into 2nd. At 53 seconds it was 2 seconds faster than the next fastest car that run. Due to the soft conditions, it was actually a pretty flashy and fun run. Usually fast runs are smooth and somewhat boring looking. But if the ground is too soft the cars tend to understeer badly if you take those lines. They key to those conditions, I've found, is to get the car rotating as I enter the turn. So this makes for some really enjoyable runs to watch and drive.

It's not the best idea. The Volt's engine uses an Atkinson cycle, so it's powerband is very narrow and it doesn't make a lot of power for its size (100hp from a 1.5L). It's more efficient, and it's narrow powerband is perfectly fine for being a generator, but it's not great for driving which is why the electric motors are the primary motors even when in hybrid mode.

There are a couple videos from GM that state otherwise. When the engine is being used ("depleted" traction battery/Hold/Mountian mode), it's coupled to the drivetrain at high speeds (over 100kmh I think). Which matches my experience with it as the traction battery will slowly deplete during extended highway driving in Hold mode due to the engine being unable to replenish the charge after needing to use it for passing/hills etc. When I get home I'll try to find those videos.

Very likely. Possibly on the production side, but not on the maintenance side. EVs have far less maintenance than conventional cars. And if the manufacturer prioritizes longevity over capacity bragging rights, like GM and Nissan, the battery will likely outlast the car. There are Volts at well over 100K with no appreciable range loss. In fact, there are manufacturers (Hyundai and Volvo are two) that are considering changing the car buying model to what is essentially a subscription-based model for their EVs since the maintenance costs are so minimal.

The way the cells are designed, if there's a puncture it will release a jet of flame, not explode. They're probably safer than Li-Ion batteries which can have a chain reaction and burn completely and quickly. The downside to hydrogen is that the flame isn't always easy to see.

While Hydrogen has the huge benefit of there being (mostly) existing infrastructure and consumer behavior already in place to use it, I question its efficiency. Using electricity to generare the hydrogen to then convert back into electricity seems kinda silly. Perhaps the real solution will be a combination of the two. A Battery for short-range use and the hydrogen cell for extended use. Dunno. If I did know, I'd be investing every penny I've got...

Ehh.. Things are kinda blurry as they are. From what I've read, a "Range-Extended EV" is a car that has an EV drivetrain, but also a gas or diesel engine that can provide power for the EV to go beyond its battery charge. A Plug-in Hybrid has a conventional drivetrain with an electric motor usually placed between the engine and transmission that can run on the battery only until it hits a charge point where it becomes a conventional hybrid. The Volt kinda falls between the two. In most driving scenarios, it's a pure EV. But under certain circumstances the engine, either powers one of the electric motors to generate electricity or is coupled directly to the drivetrain with the electric motors providing additional torque. By the time I've had my Volt for a year, I'll have used the gas engine maybe 20 times. The rest of the year it's been an EV with the engine being dead weight on the nose. So I consider it a Range-Extended EV, rather than a Plug-in Hybrid.

That's why I like the Volt. Enough battery that it covers 80% of commuters (way more than I need day to day) but if I want to drive 90 miles to visit my wife's family or 1600 to visit mine, I don't have to worry about it. I think range-extended EVs should be the intermediate step.

I'll say this: I really like my Volt. After driving it for almost 9 months now, I really think an EV is a perfect daily driver.

The thought of being able to light up all four wheels on the pavement as if it were on dirt.. so much want.. But thinking about what the transmission alone would cost blows my mind.

Right now they are struggling to get their prototype over 200mph, and their target is only 250mph. Not very impressive. Hopefully there's a step beyond their current goals. Otherwise this is another technology that is pitched as something incredible, but isn't all that great once it hits reality. As for the sonic boom, all I can find says that air pressure doesn't effect the speed of sound. Which means there would be a sonic boom if it exceeded Mach 1, but I don't think it would be very loud. Somewhat. But the vacuum is being used to reduce air resistance, not to help propulsion. The train is essentially a modified MagLev.

Very cool. Though I hope they make more progress with the prototype. Right now the "records" it's breaking aren't much faster than a Bullet Train. For the Hyperloop to be viable, they need to go at least twice as fast.

I might make it. The following weekend is the SCCA RallyCross Championships, so depending on the Subaru's condition I might be doing prep. But hopefully I'll be able to get in one last pavement blast before the winter.

To quote Richard Hammond, "Some poo came out!"

It was fun. Haven't had a chance to run that course without a bunch of cones in the middle. Definitely was wanting for torque. You were really fast out there. I haven't been able to find the results yet. Do you know where they are posted? Most of the Evora S reviews I've seen have been positive. And what issues most brought up (oversized door sills, odd placement of controls, etc) have been fixed in the 400, not that I could think of affording one.. But driving it was wonderful.

Sunday evening, I got to drive this: http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1087241&stc=1&d=1495053108 I think I'm in love... Hi. My name is Draco, and I have a problem.